Collapsing wheeled carrier



Jan; 28, 1947. 1-1. I. GRAY 2,414,943

COLLAPSING WHEELED CARRIER Filed Sept. 19, 1945.

IN VEN TOR.

BYM

ATTO R N 5Y5.

Patented Jan. 28, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,414,943 COLLAPSING WHEELED CARRIER Harry 1. Gray, Cincinnati, Ohio Application September 19, 1945, Serial No. 617,355

Claims. 1

My invention relates to wheeled carts employed among other uses in self-service stores and providing a means which can be moved along by a shopper and serve to support a basket or con-' tainer into which items which it is desired to purchase may be placed.

The object of my invention is to provide a device which includes a collapsible container or basket. My invention is adaptable readily to the standard type of folding wheeled support which provides a tray on which the customer can place a basket for receiving articles to be purchased. But in accordance with my invention when the cart is folded up the basket collapses so as to make a neat structure for storage in a relatively small space.

I have shown in the drawing a preferred form of device, and will describe the same in detail, it being the intent to state the novelty inherent in the invention so illustrated in the claims which follow the description.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a perspective view of the device.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the device when folded up.

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 showing the construction of the basket.

As stated above, the type of folding structure for the wheeled cart which I have illustrated in connection with my invention is a standard type in most respects. Thus there are two frame pieces i and 2, which are hinged together at 3,3. The frame piece I is connected across the top by means of a cross bar 4 which serves as a support. This frame piece is supplied with two pivoted wheels 5 mounted in forks at the two lower ends of the frame piece. The other frame piece is connected at the bottom by a bar 6 and is'provided with two socket pieces I, l in which are mounted caster wheels 8, 8.

A frame 9 which serves as a lower support, if needed, is connected by short links H) to the frame piece 2 and long links Illa with the frame piece I, the arrangement being such that when this frame is swung vertically it will draw the two frames into substantial parallelism with each other, thus collapsing the frame.

At the upper end of the frame piece 2 the two bars thereof are pivotally connected to a tray element II, which rests on the top bar 4 of the frame piece I when the structure is set up and falls down into general parallelism when the frame is collapsed.

So far as now described, the device is generally one which has had many years use in the food industry as a food carrier.

In my device the arms of the frame piece 2 are extended upwardly in branches l2, 12 at such angle that they are nearly vertical when the cart is erected. Connected pivotally to the tray member well forwardly of the position of the cross \bar support 4 are a pair of bars l3, [3 which are held parallel to the frame portions I2, 12, as will be described.

In the preferred form of basket element, I employ a series of loops of metal M which may, if desired, be of increasing size, terminating if desired by the largest loop l5 which is wider to provide a top finish. The loops are connected by means of rivets Hi to the bars l2 and I3, the rivets being so located that the bars l3 are in parallel with the extensions I2, as already noted.

With this construction, when the frame is collapsed and the tray portion swings down, since the bars [3 are in parallel with the extensions I 2, the whole basket frame will collapse, as shown in Fig. 2.

The construction is very simple. By equally spacing the rivet holes in the basket forming loops, and providing matching holes in the portions l2'and I3, the-job of assembly simply consists in inserting the rivets and clinching them over.

As shown, the top loop 15 may have a handle for pushing the cart along. The size of the basket element can be greater in area than the tray providing ample capacity without increasing the over-all size of the folded-up structure.

It is obvious that the shape and precise structure of the collapsing basket can be modified without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a carrier having collapsing frame members and which, when erected, presents a wheeled support to the floor, and a tray in a level position at the top of the frame pivoted at one end in the frame, a cross frame member at the other end on which the tray rests, a pair of bars extending beyond the pivot of the tray, a pair of bars hinged to the tray, and a series of loops forming a basket structure together with the tray, pivotally connected with the two pairs of bars in spaced relation and so located '.as to hold the bars in substantial parallelism,

frame, the basket collapses.

pairs of bars in spaced relation to form a basket 10 in combination with the tray.

3. The combination of two frames having each a pair of bars, pivoted to each other so that the frame may collapse, one of said pairs of bars having a cross bar at the top, the other pair of bars extending upwardly beyond the level of the cross bar, a tray pivotally held in saidother pair of bars, and arranged to rest upon the cross bar of the first pair of bars when the frame is erected, a series of loops pivotally held in spaced relation in the extensions of the other pair of bars and pivotal means on the tray pivotally retainin the loops at another point so as to maintain the loops in parallelism, said pivotal means being so constructed and arranged that the loops will collapse along with the tray, when the cross bar is removed, as in collapsing the frames.

4. The combination of claim 1 in which the loops are of graded area to form an outwardly and upwardly tapering basket, but in which the distance between the pivotal connections on each of the several loops is the same.

5. The combination of claim 2 in which the pivotal connections of each loop in the two pairs of arms are spaced the same distance apart.

HARRY I. GRAY. 

